Hong Kong – The brand new AsiaSat 5 communications satellite of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) began commercial service on September 17, at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East with enhanced power, coverage and connectivity, for advanced satellite broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband services across Asia Pacific. Following its launch on August 12 and the successful completion of in-orbit testing to verify the satellite’s performance and integrity, AsiaSat 5 is now operational at 100.5 degrees East, the orbital slot occupied by AsiaSat 2 since 1996. Traffic transfer from AsiaSat 2 to AsiaSat 5 has commenced and is expected to be completed over the next few weeks. AsiaSat 5 is now serving many public and private broadcasters from around the world and a number of wholesale news agencies, video service providers, teleport service providers for video and news distribution and contribution services, as well as governments and corporations for VSAT network services. In addition to a powerful Ku-band East Asia beam, AsiaSat 5 also offers two new Ku-band beams – the South Asia beam and a steerable beam at the 100.5 degrees East to satisfy market demands.